Pretoria - South Africa scooped the Best Stand Award for a second year running at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair that wrapped up at the weekend.
The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe received the award on the department’s behalf on Friday from Malawian President, Dr Joyce Banda.
“This award does not belong to the dti but to South Africa as a country in general. To be crowned the best exhibitor in an international fair in which more than about 20 countries are participating is a great achievement. We are all proud of this award as it shows that we as a department have represented the country well. It also means that the quality of the companies that are exhibiting in our stand have created a good impression among the judges, and the visitors,” she said.
Italy and Mozambique were second and third, respectively.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Vice President Joyce Mujuru, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and numerous Zimbabwean Cabinet ministers also attended the ceremony, which was the highlight of the international fair that started on Tuesday, 23 April 2013.
This year’s fair was held under the theme, “Building Value, Enhancing Growth”.
The deputy minister was leading a group of 47 South African companies to the fair which is widely recognised as the largest intra-regional trade fair south of the Sahara. The 47 companies are an increase from the 34 companies that participated in the multi-sectoral, multi-national fair last year.
Thabethe added that the dti had taken up more space in the trade fair this year than it did last year as it had proven to be the perfect platform for South African companies to expose their products and services to the international market.
“We are planning to occupy even a bigger space next year so that we can afford more companies, particularly the small enterprise, an opportunity to market their goods and seek partnerships with companies exhibiting here from other countries of the world,” said Thabethe.
The fair concluded on Saturday. –SAnews.gov.za
